Dale
Moon
Who
were some of your earliest musical influences?
Right from the start it was Rush and Van Halen, which is an interesting
yin and yang. I like how completely thought-out Neil Peart's playing is,
and how completely instinctual Alex Van Halen's playing seems, and yet
they're equally valid.
The other main early influence was Tower Of Power. David
Garibaldi is probably my single biggest drum hero of all time. I can
literally remember the moment I first heard Back To Oakland. It instantly
made me wonder why we all play the same drum beats all the time.
Who are some of your more recent musical
influences?
These might not seem that recent, but I later got into all of the electric
jazz fusion guys, like Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers, Horatio Hernandez,
and Simon Phillips. For years I felt that that was my direction as a
player, but at some point I realized that I'm a rock n' roller at heart.
That’s when I started getting into all of the instrumental guitarists.
You still get all of the playing, but it rocks. I haven’t mentioned
Vinnie Colaiuta yet, but he’s in there somewhere. I have a million
musical heroes, but these are the people who have actually influenced
my playing.
What's in your CD player right now?
A Tribe Called Quest: The Low End Theory. It
simply never gets old.
What's your current drum setup?
I play maple Gretsch drums: a 20x22 kick with six toms-- 8, 10, and
12 rack toms, 14 and 16 floor toms, and a suspended 14 on my left. I
change snares depending on the volume of the gig. The main ones are
a 6 1/2x14 maple Gretsch that’s dry but loud and cracking, and
an old, dented 6x14 steel free-floating Pearl that I just can’t
seem to beat for being responsive and easy to control in lower-volume
situations. I was using a 10-inch auxiliary snare on the Burn Season
Tour, but it tended to complicate the mix in situations where we don’t
control the sound, so it’s out.
Cymbals?
I play Sabian cymbals. I have four crashes that vary depending on the
venue--either AAX Studios or HHXplosions. I don't really go for tons
of sonic range with crash cymbals; I just like having several because
it helps me avoid awkward movements that strain my shoulders. It also
keeps me from overplaying a single cymbal and breaking it. I have a
Hand-Hammered Medium-Ride, and two O-Zone crashes, which are some of
the greatest sounding cymbals I've ever heard. I vary my Hi-hats depending
on the gig, but they're always 13’s for the primary hats, and
14’s for the X-hats.
What kind of Electronics do you use?
Often, we’ll do in-store appearances or radio shows while on the
road. In these situations, I use a full kit of electronic drums, which
are made by RET Percussion. They’re dual-zone triggers made with
actual maple shells and real-feeling heads.
Also, no
matter which kit I’m using, I use a pair of Roland SPD-S sampling
pads to my left above the hi-hats. I can trigger drum sounds directly
from them, or I can trigger rhythm guitar loops or piano loops that
we couldn’t otherwise cover live without more people. That strategy
allows us to sound extremely full on stage even though we’re a
trio. I use two of them MIDI’d together so I can monitor one with
added click, and send one to the house without a click.
I use a Yamaha ClickStation
for a time reference, and I have a small six-channel mixer that I use
to tie it all together.
Microphones?
I use Electro-Voice
microphones on everything. They absolutely rock, and have held up great
on the road.
Do
you use triggers live or in the studio?
I currently don't use any live, and I've never used them in the studio,
with the exception of random sessions for other people. I used to use
them to trigger effects program changes on my reverb unit on the fly.
You
have a third pedal on your left side next to your hi-hat and left kick
pedal. What's that about?
That's been primarily a soloing device. It’s a Rhythm Tech Ribbon
Crasher mounted on a Gajate bracket, and I’ve taped a hand-held
shaker to the beater. I use the sound in the same way I would use a
snare, or sometimes a clave. It allows me to set up a fairly complete
groove with my feet, which I can then solo over. The idea is that it
gives the average listener something to latch onto--the foot patterns--while
still allowing me to geek out and play polyrhythms and stuff over the
top of it. I can get really adventurous while (hopefully) not losing
most of the audience. The additional coordination I gain from working
on it is helpful in other areas, too. |